Thursday, July 26, 2007

Redington Shores Getaway

This picture (and those below) pretty much sums up our Redington Shores (FL) getaway last week...SANS CHILDREN! It was one of the best vacations EVER!We did little but eat, sleep, drink, relax, sunbathe, repeat...and God treated us to some of the most spectacular sunsets. These pictures hardly do it justice.

These sunsets were witnessed nightly from the perch of our second floor balcony. By day three, we were in such a low gear we were taking each others'pulse. It was heavenly...no work, no chores, no kids (though we did start to miss them by day six).

We stayed very inexpensively at a pink, cynder block quad right on Redington Shores Beach. If you want contact information for the owner, please let me know before October. That's when rates go back up.

We found a couple of nearby restaurants that were tops for breakfast--Kenny's Korner, a short walk down Gulf Blvd; and The Frog Pond, a short drive. We also found a fresh seafood market, cigar shop and coffee shop withing walking distance of the condo. Down the road in St. Pete Beach, we found an artisans market and a superb winery--Florida Orange Groves and Winery, Inc.--that won several awards at the Indiana State Fair over the past four years. Their Blackberry Semi-Sweet Wine is the best of that type I've ever tried. And you'll HAVE to ask Tracy to tell you the Madeira Beach Toilet Seat story.AHHH, great memories! We've determined to try and maintain that beach mentality, even going as far as buying a Dreamscape CD that has 68 minutes of continuous surf and nothing else.

We would definitely recommend Redington Shores, a 30-minute drive from Tampa International Airport (TPA), to anyone looking for a great beach getaway. The fact that our condo was somewhat isolated from the hustle and bustle of the more popular beaches--Clearwater, St. Pete, Treasure Island--it made for a romantic 7-day getaway. Still, you're close enough to the cities to do just about anything.

Soon I'll have an entire photo album of pictures, including our trip to the Lowry Park Zoo. For now, you'll have to settle for the one's posted here. Enjoy!